Starting or stopping mechanism.



No. 701,872. Patented lune l0, I902.

A. GIAGOMINI.

STARTING 0R STOPPING MECHANISM.

(Application filed July 5, 1901.)

(No mum.

I /N VEYVTOR.

WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEY.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ACHILLES GIACOMINI, OF sen FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNoR TO ANDREW WHITE, or VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA. I

STARTING-OR STOPPING ME M:

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Pathfi'NO. 701 872, dated June 10, 1902;

Application filed il'uly' 5, 1901. Serial No. 671239. on, model.)

'To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, ACHILLES GIAOOMINI, a

citizen of Italy, residing at San Francisco, in the county of SanFrancisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting orStopping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved start and stop. mechanism for sewingor other machines, being an; improvement on an invention of F. T.'Leilich,;patentedjJuly 2, 1901, No. 677 ,7 84, the object of my inventionbeing to provide. an apparatus of this character which shall ,be convenient in operation, simple anddurablein construction, andnot liable to get out of order.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination, and'arrangement of parts for'the above ends hereinafter fully specified, and particularly pointed'out in the claims. I

Figure-1 is a rearelevation of a sewingmachine to which my improved start and stop mechanism is adapted. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged central section of the said mechanism, the clutch and driving-pulley being connected. Fig.4 is a similar view showing the clutch and driving-pulley disconnected. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the clutch, the coverbeing broken away. Fig. 6 is a similar'view 'oniihe opposite side. Fig. 7 is a detail of the shiftinglever, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the block detached from the clutch.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the frame of a sewing-machine, and b, the main driving-shaft therefor. shaft is carried a loose pulley c,'-driven from any suitable source of power and constantly rotating loosely nponthe main shaft. Said pulley c communicates motion to the shaft 6 through the medium of a clutch d, which is splined upon an enlarged portion e of the shaft, as shown at f, thereby imparting rotationto said shaft while freely slidable thereon. A coiled compressed spring g is interposed between the pulley c and said clutch cl, being contained within the hub h of a cap or cover 7;, screwed into the top of the clutch, said spring 9 therefore normally tending to Upon the end of said to hold it against thenut.

separate the pulley and clutch. In order to,

operatively connect the same so that rotation may be imparted to the main driving-shaft, there'is provideda shifting-lever is, pivotally attached at its lower end to the base ofthe the slide a is moved rearwardly, carrying with it theleverla againstthe force of the spring 9 and moving the; clutch (1 up to the driving-pulley c.

The advantages of the above construction over that shown in the patent referredto are that it is now permissible, for the} clutch to have a smooth .cylindrical surface without any sharpedges, so thatwhen the machine is running even at its highest speed the operator can. safely stop ,themaohine by placing her hand upon the "edge of the pulley and clutch. Moreover, there are now no prgjecting parts to catch-loose threads Again, the spring gis'now arranged so that its force acts on the direct 1 line of the movement of the clutch instead of acting atone'side thereof, as was formerly,the case, so thatithe tendency to bindis-removed. Further, the spring g I and the nut r at theend of the main shaft be tween them retain the pulley c in place, no further means being necessary, the spring always acting against the-side of the pulley In general the construction is one of great simplicity, for the connections of the slide n withthe lever 70, of the lever is with the clutch d, and, of the spring 9 with the clutch and pulley are abutments only, and are therefore made with the greatest facility. In the face of the pulley 0 slides a spring-actuated stud s, which when saidclutch-is'moved up to said pulley engages a lug t, which is screwed to the cover'i. Said lug trests in sockets 16 w, cut in the hub h of the cover and the rim w of the clutch, and serves to lock said cover against unscrewing. Thus when the clutch is shifted up to said pulley the rotation of said pulley is immediately transmitted to said clutch, and so to the driving-shaft.

In order to rotate the cam-wheel to shift the roller 0 from the low dwell to the high dwell, there is provided a lever w, having a pawl y pivoted thereon, adapted to engage a stud a on the cam-wheel and rotate said wheel through a sufficient distance to shift the roller up the ascending incline. The rear end of said pawl is attached to said lever by means of a spring 1, so that when the stud e on the revolution of the wheel depresses said pawl and then passes the same the pawl will be immediately restored to its original position by said spring. When the roller 0 drops from the high dwell to the low dwell,the clutch is free to move away from the pulley under the action of the spring g, and the main shaft is then no longer driven. It is necessary to arrest the rotation of said shaft, and before positively arresting the same it is necessary to apply a brake, so as to avoid the jar due to a sudden stoppage. This brake is furnished by means of a lever 2, pivoted at 3 and pressed down by a powerful coiled spring 4. The under side of said lever is formed with a downwardly-inclined lug 5, which is engaged by a lug 6, carried by the clutch. When the clutch moves away from the driving-pulley, said lug 6 on the clutch moves into the same vertical plane as the lever 2, and then in the rotation of the clutch said lug 6 comes beneath the downwardly-inclined lug 5 of the lever and lifts said lever 2 against the action of said spring 4. Said spring, however, being of great power, opposes the lifting of said lever, and so serves to retard the rotation of said clutch and the main driving-shaft. The lug 6 is carried by a segmental block 7, which is inserted in an annular groove 8 in the clutch, the lug extending through an elongated aperture .9 in the rear side of said clutch. Between the other end of said block and a block 10 is placed a powerful semi-annular coiled spring. The compression of this spring serves to take up the momentum of the clutch and prevent jar. The block is adjustably secured, by means of the screw 11 in the slot 12, in said block, thereby permitting adjustment of the pressure of said spring.

The above construction possesses the advantages that the parts are of simple construction, are readily assembled, and the groove 8, extending wholly around the clutch instead of partially around, as in the patent to Leilich above referred to, causes the clutchbody to be balanced on its axis and permits of said groove being cored instead of having to be milled out.

In orderto positively arrest the clutch,there is provided a stop 13, cast or otherwise formed on the arm of the machine. When the lug (3 meets this stop, the clutch is positively arrested. At the same time said lug 6 will then have passed the end of the lever 2, which will drop under the action of the springs behind said lug and will prevent rebound thereof, the distance between the end of thelever and the stop being substantially the width of the lug.

The advantage of causing the stud s to be movably mounted in the face of the pulley c and to be actuated by a spring is that it permits of the face of the clutch being moved close up to the spring, even when it should happen that on being moved up the stud strikes the face of the lug t. In such a case the stud will be pressed back flush with the face of the pulley until the stud has passed the lug if, when it will immediately shoot forward from the action of the spring and will be in readiness to impinge upon the lug on coming around after one revolution. If the stud were a rigid stud, it might happen that on the clutch being moved up to the pulley by the action of the cam the face of the lug 25 would strike against the stud and prevent the clutch from being fully moved up, and thus cause a block of the cam. In the meantime the operator would have released the starting mechanism, and thus there would be caused a false start.

I claim- 1. In a starting and stopping mechanism for sewing or other machines, the combination of a driving-shaft,a driving-pulley loosely mounted thereon, a clutch rotating with said shaft, but slidable thereon, a spring interposed between said driving-pulley and clutch to move the latter from the former, alever having its free end abutting against the other side of the clutch to move the clutch up to the pulley against the action of said spring, a slide having an arm abutting against said lever to shift the latter, a roller carried by said slide and a cam-wheel, whose cam operates said roller to actuate said slide, substantially as described.

2. I11 a starting and stopping mechanism, the combination with the main driving-shaft, of a clutch rotating with said shaft and sliding thereon, a lug projecting from said clutch, a lever swinging in a plane at right angles to said shaft and outward therefrom,and a spring for drawing said lever toward said shaft, said lever having an inwardly-inclined surface arranged to engage said lug when the latter is brought into the plane of the lever to swing said lever outwardly against the action of said spring, the pressure of said spring-actuated lever upon said lug thereby acting as a brake, substantially as described.

In a starting and stopping mechanism the combination with the main driving-shaft, of a clutch rotating with said shaft and'sliding thereon, alug projectingfrom said clutch, a fixed stop upon which the lugimpinges when the clutch is moved longitudinally on said shaft, a lever swinging in a plane at right angles to said shaft and outward therefrom,

and a spring for moving said lever toward said shaft, said lever having an inclined under surface engagingsaid lug when said clutch is so moved laterally, thereby acting as a brake, and the end of the lever being distant from the stop substantially the width of the lug, whereby said lever prevents rebound of said lug after its arrest by the stop, substantially as described.

4:. In a starting and stopping mechanism, the combination with the main driving-shaft, of a clutch rotating with said shaft and sliding thereon, said clutch comprising a clutchbody having an annular groove and an elongated aperture 8 on its inner surface, a block in said groove having a lug extending through said aperture, a block secured in said groove,

and a spring interposed between said blocks,

and a stop engaging said lug to arrest said In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses. s

' ACHILLES GIACOMINI. Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, W. PEYTON SMITH. 

